Long-term net migration to the UK nearly halved in 2025, falling to levels last seen before Britain introduced its post-Brexit immigration system, according to new data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS said net migration dropped to 171,000 in the 12 months ending December 2025, compared with 331,000 a year earlier. The decline extends a sharp fall from the record peak of 944,000 recorded in 2023.
Immigration has remained a major political issue in Britain for more than a decade, with successive governments tightening visa rules and increasing salary thresholds for foreign workers. The current Labour government has also announced additional curbs as it seeks to counter rising political pressure on migration.
Student and worker visa restrictions impact arrivals
The ONS said the latest figures bring migration levels close to those seen before the new immigration system was introduced in early 2021, when Britain completed its transition out of the European Union and COVID-19 restrictions were still in effect.
The decline reflects policy changes introduced from 2024 by the previous Conservative government, including restrictions preventing most international students from bringing dependants and higher salary thresholds for skilled worker visas.
The Labour government later tightened policies further. Measures included ending overseas recruitment of care workers, one of the largest contributors to work migration in recent years, and raising salary requirements again for skilled worker visas.
The government has also proposed broader immigration reforms, including faster deportations for illegal arrivals, extending the qualifying period for some migrants seeking settled status from five years to 10 years, and making refugee status temporary.
“This government is restoring order and control to our borders,” Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said on social media after the figures were released.
Meanwhile, British Future, a UK think tank, said the country was witnessing “one of the sharpest falls in net migration on record,” even though many people believed migration levels were still increasing.
